Notes and Editorial Reviews

There is no other separately available disc of the partitas with which to compare this one by Mullova and it would be a pity if the absence of plans for her to complement this CD with a recording of the sonatas were to deter those who want the full set. The best of the integral sets are those by Shumsky and Kagan, similar in their rich-toned delivery, emotional responses and penchant for slow-moving Allemandes. Though I would not want to be without either, Mullova comes as a breath of fresh air: her playing is as close to technical perfection as makes no difference, her leaner tone favours transparent textures, her dance movements are light on their feet (helped by her quickness in bowing through chords) and her nuancing of tone and volumeRead more is full of subtlety—warmly expressive but with no trace of romanticism.

Where Shumsky and Kagan accept the texts as they are, Mullova is not afraid to embellish them with discretion: she adorns the 'open spaces' of the Sarabande of the B minor Partita in delightful fashion but refrains from overloading the already ornate one in the D minor, the Chaconne of which here receives the finest performance I have heard, majestic in its realization of the work's architecture and variety. HF described Kagan's performances as ''revelatory'', and so too are these by Mullova, whose heart is rarely if ever on her sleeve, but, in tandem with her understanding, always in her violin. I tentatively add this disc to my 'desert island' collection, waiting hopefully for the sonatas to join it. I almost forgot to mention that the recording is worthy of the performances.